The USC Trojans grabbed a much-needed win over their arch-rival, the UCLA Bruins, on Saturday, 62-56. The Trojans snapped their seven-game road losing streak, and most importantly, they avoided the season swipe to their rivals.
The Trojan's performance from their first matchup against UCLA to their match on Saturday was like night and day. USC was on fire from behind the arc, shooting 44.4%, and held the Bruins to 21.1%.
Not only was the three-ball working well, but more importantly, they weren't severely outrebounded compared to their matchup in late January.
USC head coach Andy Enfield spoke to the media after the game, including to L.A. Times staff writer Thuc Nhi Nguyen. Enfield told Nhi Nguyen he's proud of his big men's performance and bounce back.
“Some of our bigs are very good offensive rebounders, not so much natural defensive rebounders,” Enfield said. “Working at it, getting better, but we need them to improve, and then some of our guards, same thing.”
Although the Trojans were still outrebounded, it wasn't as bad as in January. USC lost the rebounding battle by only five on Saturday, compared to 14 at the Galen Center a month ago.
The big men like DJ Rodman and Victor Iwuchukwu combined for eight boards. However, the guards also chimed in the party, like Isaiah Collier and Boogie Ellis, who also combined for eight boards.
Rebounding is a category you always want to win. Although it wasn't the case on Saturday, the Trojans did enough to edge over their rivals and ruin their standings in the Pac-12 tournament.
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